by Jen Calonita
“If you’re here to audition for the a cappella groups, they’re over,” he said.
Julianna stopped short. “They’re done already? How?” She hadn’t been last on the list. Had they finished early?
The custodian shook his head. “Not sure. There was a lot of yelling. Crazy a cappella kids. Left a ton of papers behind. No one cleans up after themselves anymore.” He grabbed his broom and walked away.
Julianna went to the stage to be sure. The custodian was right. It was a ghost town. The auditorium lights were dim and everyone was gone. The only thing left behind was a stack of sheet music on the piano. She walked over and picked up the piano music. It seemed like everyone had either sung a song from Wicked or Hamilton.
She’d screwed up. A future in a cappella was not in the cards. She sank down on the piano bench.
“If you want to stay and use the piano, I don’t mind,” the custodian said. “I like music to work to.”
Julianna glanced at her phone. Her mother wouldn’t be picking her up for another half hour anyway. She didn’t want to run into anyone on campus. She was upset and tired and when she felt like that, music was the cure.
“Thanks.” She opened the piano key lid, flipping through the Wicked songbook till she found what she was looking for. “What Is This Feeling?” was her favorite tune in the show. She loved how Elphaba and Glinda started out the musical as enemies and eventually found a harmony that worked for the two of them.
“What is this feeling so sudden and new?” Julianna sang, doing the Glinda part, which was always harder for her as an alto. She could barely hit Glinda’s high notes, but she gave it her best shot as the song flipped back and forth between the two singers. It felt good to sing. As she hit the first stanza, her voice reached a crescendo and her fingers moved over the piano keys more feverishly. She was so into the song, she didn’t notice a girl had jumped up onstage until she was standing directly over the piano. Julianna froze. It was Sydney Marino.
“Keep playing!” Sydney whispered, smiling encouragingly. “Let’s just say, I loathe it all!” she sang in a rich, high voice. She was a soprano, and a really good one. She motioned for Julianna to keep playing. “Every little trait, however small … ,” she continued to sing, and without thinking, Julianna joined in.
It took a few lines for it to happen, but their voices began to harmonize. Maybe that’s why the song felt so electric. When Julianna ran a line, Sydney was right there with the next one. They were sparring in song, and it worked. Julianna hadn’t sung in front of anyone but her mother in a while, but this felt right. Suddenly, she didn’t want the song to end.
“And I will be loathing you my whole life long!” the two girls sang, holding the last note until Julianna’s fingers finally left the ivory keys.
The custodian broke out into applause. “That was amazing!” he said, clapping harder. “You two have my vote!”
Sydney jumped up and down too. “You were amazing! That was the best audition I’ve heard in forever!”
“Really?” Julianna said in surprise. “But that wasn’t an audition. I was looking for my sheet music and I guess I lost track of time and didn’t realize you guys finished up.” I chickened out.
“But you were going to audition so this counts,” Sydney said matter-of-factly. “I’ve been sitting in the back of the auditorium in the dark, sulking over the fact that we don’t have enough talent for the Nightingales to pull from. And then I heard you start to sing. You’re just what the group needs—what I need after today—a true talent. I say that was an audition, and if it was an audition, I’m officially telling you, you’re in!”
Julianna felt like she had stopped breathing. Was she dreaming? This couldn’t be real. When she put herself out there, she fell flat on her face. That’s how her life worked. But now she was being thrown a musical lifeline. “You can do that without asking anyone?”
Sydney’s face darkened. “Yes, because I am the only captain who cares today.”
Julianna wasn’t sure what that meant, but she nodded.
Sydney held out her hand and grinned. “Who are you, by the way?”
“Julianna Ramirez.”
Sydney pumped Julianna’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Julianna. Welcome to the Nightingales.”
Lidia knew how she must look to the people on the bus—like she had lost her mind. On the ride from Bradley to the Naples downtown area, she had spent the whole time mumbling to herself about puppeteers, a cappella, and the Nightingales. Sydney had made her so mad!
“This is not an off-Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen,” she said aloud to herself as she walked down Naples’s Fifth Avenue, passing boutique art galleries and jewelry stores that sold dolphin earrings and starfish decorated on pretty much everything. “It’s a high school a cappella group! Why knock talent even if it does come with a puppet?” She flung open the door to Kyle’s Candy Shoppe. “Were we that good when we auditioned freshman year? No. Sydney was really pitchy, so there!”
Ahh … The smell of chocolate mixed with taffy and fudge instantly calmed her down. Kyle’s shop, while much smaller, reminded her of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (which was still one of her favorite books). Some days she stood and stared wistfully at the twelve-dollar salted-caramel-covered giant pretzels that were out of her budget for an after-school snack. Other days, she just grabbed a water like most of the dancers from her studio did before class. But most days she broke down and bought an eighth of a pound of chocolate wafer nonpareils covered in sprinkles. She’d eat them slowly on her way to class. Today, Lidia knew she needed at least half a pound of chocolate to get through the afternoon!
* * *
Kids in the shop lingered around a giant chocolate fountain where you could dip pretzels and fruit for a dollar apiece. Lidia closed her eyes and savored the smell of caramel before walking to the counter where Kyle was helping a lone customer.
“Hey, Lidia! How was your first day of school?”
“It played out like a scene from a horror movie,” she said, pulling her wallet out of her bag. “The only way I’ll make it through my dance class is with some chocolate. Can I get a half pound of nonpareils?”
Kyle’s smile faded. “Actually, someone just beat you to the last ones. We won’t have more till tomorrow.”
“WHAT?” Lidia flung herself against the glass candy counter. A mother walking nearby looked startled. “Who stole my chocolate?” Kyle’s eyes shifted to the right. Lidia’s jaw dropped and she became momentarily flustered. It was Jack from the bus and he was holding a clear bag of nonpareils. Her nonpareils! “You? What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question,” said Jack, his mouth curving into a half-smile as he reached into the bag of chocolate and took one sprinkled-color wafer out and popped it into his mouth. He had a great smile, which made her feel flustered. “This is my favorite candy shop. Reminds me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
This was uncanny. “Me too.” Lidia pointed to his bag. “And those are my favorite chocolates.”
“Same. I buy them every week.”
“So do I,” she said, “until today.”
“Do you two know each other?” Kyle leaned over the counter. “You guys keep my nonpareil business afloat. You both buy them every week.”
Lidia narrowed her eyes at Jack. “You’re the one who is always buying the nonpareils? Last week I had to buy peanut butter clusters because Kyle ran out. And now you did it again.”
Jack ran a hand through his messy black hair. “Sorry, but it’s not my fault you only buy an eighth of a pound.”
“How do you know I only buy an eighth of a pound?” Lidia looked at Kyle accusingly.
Kyle looked guilty. “I always beg Jack to leave an eighth of a pound for you, but sometimes he persuades me to give him all the chocolate I’ve got.” He looked at Jack. “He can be quite persuasive.”
Jack’s dark eyes gleamed from behind his glasses. “I’ve been told I’m quite the
charmer.”
Lidia thought back to how Jack knew their bus driver’s name and people on the route personally. “More like thief,” she teased.
Jack held out his hand and grinned. “Nice to officially meet you, Ms. Nonpareils. I’m Jack Nielson.”
Lidia shook his hand. “Lidia Sato, and I’ll decide if it’s nice to meet you after you tell me whether I can buy back those nonpareils.” She looked at Kyle. “I need a half pound or more today.”
Kyle made a face. “Whoa, it really was a horror-movie kind of day, huh?”
Jack eyed her curiously as he swung the bag of chocolate in his hand. “I was looking forward to this chocolate fix after my day too. How do I know you need it more than I do?”
“Ooh!” Kyle clapped his hands. “It’s a chocolate battle. Who needs the sweet stuff more?”
Jack’s eyes lit up. “I’m game, Lidia. Are you?”
Lidia was in no mood for games, but she needed those nonpareils. They were going to be the highlight of her day. “Fine. But you go first.” She wasn’t spilling her guts to him if he didn’t do the same.
Jack made his already messy hair stand up even more. “Okay, so my laptop, Mr. Krinkle—”
Lidia burst out laughing. “Your laptop has a name?”
“Yes.” Jack looked hurt. “Doesn’t everyone’s?”
Lidia shook her head. “Nope.”
“Well, mine does, or did. Mr. Krinkle, who has been with me since middle school, by the way, blew up this morning, taking all the backup for the app I’m creating with it.” Jack started talking really fast. “While all that info should be in the cloud, it turns out my cloud hasn’t been backing up all summer, so it’s lost. The app contest deadline is in a month, which means I am now going to lose and will never have enough money to open my own nonpareil factory.” He hung his head and tried to look sad.
“Tragic,” Kyle agreed.
“RIP, Mr. Krinkle,” Lidia said, trying not to smile. “Still, you haven’t heard my story yet. How would you feel if you found out your best friend kissed the boy you’d liked since middle school and hid it from you? And then you had to suffer through a cappella auditions with the two of them, who are also now singing a duet together at the Naples Music Festival?”
“Whoa,” Kyle and Jack said at the same time.
Lidia couldn’t stop now. “The worst part? When she asked to talk to me before auditions, I thought it was to apologize. But no! She just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t make her look bad at the auditions.”
Jack held out the chocolates. “You win. Take the whole pound. I don’t need it, even if my cat did die last week.”
Lidia looked horrified. “Your cat died?”
Jack’s face broke into another grin. He really did have the best smile she’d ever seen. For a moment, she even thought she felt a flutter in her chest.
“Nah,” Jack said. “I don’t even have a cat, but if I did, that and Mr. Krinkle might have beaten your heartbreak story.”
Lidia took the chocolate and held it to her chest. “Thanks. How much do I owe you?”
Jack waved her off. “My gift to you. I’d need a truckload of chocolate if my best friend did that to me. And if you don’t mind me saying so, that guy is a fool for picking your friend over you.”
Lidia blushed. “You don’t even know my friend.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Jack said. “I just know. He picked wrong.”
Lidia’s face heated up even more. “Thanks.” She opened the bag of chocolate and poured some pieces into her hand. She offered them to Jack. He popped a nonpareil into his mouth.
“Aah … chocolate makes everything better,” he said.
They stared at each other goofily. That’s when Lidia remembered. She had somewhere she needed to be—dance class!
“I have to go.” She hesitated a moment. Would she run into him again? “Thanks again for the chocolate.” How many times was she going to say thank you? She sounded ridiculous.
Jack checked the time. “I’ll walk out with you. I have to be somewhere too.”
Kyle handed Jack a giant peanut butter cup. “For being a good sport.” He looked at Lidia. “See you tomorrow?”
“Maybe.”
“You too, Jack?” Kyle asked. If Lidia didn’t know any better, she’d think Kyle was trying to set them up.
“Definitely!” Jack high-fived him, then stepped out the door behind Lidia. They danced around each other till they realized they were going in the same direction. “My computer coding class is down the block,” he explained.
“Pixels?” Lidia asked. “That’s next door to Integral Dance Arts. That’s where I’m headed.”
“I guess we’re walking together then.” Jack put his hand on his heart. “I promise not to steal any chocolate.”
“I was hoping you would, otherwise I’ll eat it all myself.” She held out the open bag.
As Jack took another handful, Lidia studied his face. She liked how his freckles bridged his nose.
“Nice dance bag, by the way,” he said. “That’s how I banged into you on the bus in the first place. I was staring at Sailor Moon.”
Lidia glanced at her dance bag, which had a small Sailor Moon emblem on it. Sailor Moon was still her favorite anime cartoon. When she was younger, she dressed as Sailor Moon for Halloween five years in a row. “You’re a fan?”
“Fan?” Jack said in surprise. “I don’t cosplay Tuxedo Mask for nothing. I’ve got quite the top hat.”
Lidia’s eyebrows arched. He knew who Tuxedo Mask was? He fought alongside Sailor Moon. “You’re into cosplay? I’ve always wanted to try it, but my best friend said dressing up as a character when it wasn’t Halloween was weird.”
Jack raised his right eyebrow. “I’m really not liking this so-called best friend of yours.”
“Sydney’s actually pretty fun,” Lidia said instinctively. “You know, when she isn’t kissing boys I like.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Jack kept up as they turned the corner. “There’s a cosplay convention in Naples coming up that my friends and I are going to.” They stopped in front of Pixels. “It’s kind of nerdy, but not nerdy.” Lidia laughed. “It’s the usual stuff—costume contests, meet and greets, and comic book panel discussions. Any chance you want to come?”
He wanted to see her again? And in costume? There was that fluttery feeling in her chest again. “I’ll think about it.”
Jack opened the door to the computer lab. “I’ll convince you next time I see you on the bus or at Kyle’s.”
He was going to look for her. Her face suddenly felt warm. “Then I guess I’ll be seeing you.”
“Have a good class, Ms. Nonpareil.”
“You too,” Lidia said, walking away. As she did, her phone pinged. Her mother had sent her three texts.
MOM: How was the audition? Good talent pool?
MOM: Did enough people try out? I told a new student, Julianna, to come today.
MOM: I’m sure it went great! With you and Sydney as captains, this is the year the Nightingales make a comeback! You’ll be at competitions in no time. Judges are going to love you guys. It will look great on college apps next year too.
Lidia’s mom had a bad habit of sending paragraphs as text messages. How was she going to explain to her mom that she had walked out of auditions? Her mom loved telling people how Lidia was part of a living Nightingales legacy and how she had started the group and Lidia was going to save it. But Lidia wasn’t sure that could be done anymore. Thanks to her outbursts, the Nightingales’ reputation was more in the dumps than ever. They’d be lucky if they even got a team together. If they didn’t have enough girls, there wouldn’t even be a team anymore. Hmm … that would mean she wouldn’t have to see Sydney and Griffin together.
Lidia’s stomach lurched. That was a terrible thing to think!
Lidia arrived at the dance studio and walked in to the sounds of ballet music competing with a hip-hop song in another classroom. The lobby was a flurry
of activity with girls coming and going and parents paying for classes or talking about costumes with the receptionist. Lidia flattened herself against the wall to stay out of the way. She didn’t mind all the chaos around her. She loved watching people lace up their pointe shoes or tap down the long hallways, which were filled with black-and-white pictures of the senior competition team. When the room cleared out, Lidia stepped up to the front desk.
“Hi, Lidia,” the receptionist said. “Doesn’t Pattie Ann have an appointment with you tomorrow?”
“Yes,” said Lidia, feeling unsure now. “But I wound up having some free time today so I thought I’d see if she had some time to talk.”
The receptionist smiled. “I’m sure she does. She’s not tracking for another fifteen minutes. Head on back to the studio.”
Lidia wondered what Miss Pattie Ann wanted to talk to her about. She hoped it wasn’t to say she hadn’t signed up for enough classes. It killed her to think about how she wouldn’t be at the studio every day like she had been for the past ten weeks. She’d agonized over what class to take when she could only do one—barre work or hip-hop? Pointe or jazz? Tap or modern? She still wasn’t sure signing up for pointe was the right way to go.
The music grew louder as she reached the back studio. Miss Pattie Ann was practicing choreography in front of the mirrors. Lidia stood there and watched her teacher glide across the room. She didn’t acknowledge Lidia till the song ended.
“What do you think?” Miss Pattie Ann asked, sounding slightly out of breath. “Think the class will be able to master that combination?”
“We’ll give it our best shot,” Lidia said. “I know we were going to talk tomorrow, but I wound up having some extra time today.”
Miss Pattie Ann grinned. “Wonderful.” She threw her right leg up on the barre and stretched. “I’ve been really impressed by your footwork this summer. You’ve managed to keep up with the competition girls and hold your own with some of our seniors. That’s not such an easy thing to do.”